Nancy

Moratorium on SES Review Board cases During Transition

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Effective December 7, 2016, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced a moratorium on the processing of SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB) cases Government-wide, in order to ensure that incoming agency heads “have the full opportunity to exercise his or her prerogative to make or approve executive resources decisions” that will impact the agency’s performance during that agency head’s tenure.

In essence, this means that OPM’s QRB will not process candidates for career SES appointments.

There are exceptions to this moratorium; these include:

  • Agencies whose Agency Heads are not required by the President during a transition. This includes Agency Heads who have fixed-term appointments, Inspector Generals (IG), and those serving on part-time boards and commissions, among others.
  • Graduates of OPM-approved SES Candidate Development Programs (CDP) who Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) are submitted under what is called Criterion B.
  • Cases that were already in the pipeline prior to the moratorium. If a SES candidate’s package was submitted prior to December 7, 2016, processing will continue. This includes candidates whose initial package was rejected in whole or in part.
  • Specific exceptions to the moratorium initiated by individual agencies in cases where the potential for adverse impact on national security, homeland security, or a critical agency mission, program or function. Exceptions must be approved by OPM.

Despite the moratorium, agencies may still post and conduct SES merit staffing activities up to the point of submission of the selected candidate for QRB review and certification for SES appointment. This means that SES positions may be posted and interviews held.

Once a new Agency Head has been appointed, agencies may request that OPM resume processing QRB cases.

7 Steps to Prepare Yourself for New Administration

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Nancy Segal is now the weekly career columnist for FEDWeek. This article was originally posted in the FEDWeek Career Forum.

January always brings new beginnings—a new year, resolutions, and promises to ourselves and others. This January brings a Presidential transition; if nothing else, 2017 promises change for the federal employee. There will be new agency heads, new policies, and new thinking.

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Make New Years Resolutions for your Career that Stick

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Tis the season for resolutions.

While you have likely made your personal resolutions by now, the New Year is also the perfect time to make your career resolutions. Most resolutions fall by the wayside before the end of January—primarily because our resolutions were unrealistic, ill-defined, or taken over by “life.”

One way to make your resolutions stick is to write them down, break them into achievable steps, and track you progress.

Here are easy resolutions to make 2017 your best career year ever!

1. Track your achievements. Get into the habit of writing down your achievements monthly. Not only can these achievements be used for your resume, they can also be used to provide input to your annual performance evaluation. All of your achievements should answer the question “so what” and demonstrate how you added value to your organization.

2. Identify your career goal, and create a personal plan for getting there. Do you have a specific job you want to move to? Or, are you simply interested in moving from the job you now have? The more focused you are on where you want to go; the easier it will be for you to get there. Investigate opportunities within your organization, focusing on the skills required, the working conditions and the satisfaction you will receive. Sometimes the best move is a lateral one; not all development comes from moving upward.

3. Improve your qualifications. Assess the qualifications needed to meet your short- and long-term career goals. Do you need to refresh your skills? Upgrade your knowledge? Obtain a certification or degree? Improve your currency by reading articles and books in your field? Not only do you need to identify what you need, you need to be willing to commit the personal resources (both time and financial) to achieve the qualifications you desire.

4. Update your resume. You should always keep your resume updated—you never know when opportunity might come knocking. Your resume should be focused on the past 10 years or so, include metrics to give your work context and accomplishments to demonstrate you can achieve results. Remove outdated information and information that does not support your career goals.

5. Broaden your brand. All of us have a brand, whether we think so or not. You can broaden your brand by establishing a more active presence on LinkedIn, publishing a professional article or two, or speaking at a professional conference. All of these things provide wider exposure for you and your expertise.

6. Maintain a positive attitude. Change is ongoing and ever-present. Greet change with a positive attitude. If you visualize your success, you will be more likely to achieve it than if you don’t.

Make the above your career resolutions and follow through. If you do so, you’ll be setting yourself up for a great 2017!

A Thank You Gift From Nancy

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Those of you who follow me through this column know that I am a big fan of LinkedIn; its importance in the career world (even in the federal government) cannot be overstated. LinkedIn is always changing to keep its content fresh and it approach relevant.

In September 2016, LinkedIn announced that it was changing its desktop design and user interface. Of course, we do not know what features will be retained or eliminated in the redesign. To ensure you have access to all of your information, regardless of what changes LinkedIn makes, it is a good idea to back up your information.

As a free gift in recognition of your loyalty and ongoing support (and of course, the holiday season!), I am providing you with a short eBook on how to back up your LinkedIn Profile—a good habit to get into, regardless of what changes LinkedIn makes!

All the best to you, your family, and loved ones for a healthy and prosperous 2017!

Nancy

I’m Still Active Duty; Can I Use Veterans’ Preference?

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Most military members begin their job search prior to leaving service. If a military member is seeking a federal position, using veterans’ preference is important but if you’re still active duty, you do not have your final DD-214 or a disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

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Thank You Notes; They Matter

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You just left the interview. You think it went great. Now what? It is not the time to let up. Everything that you’ve done up to this point is moving you forward in your job search. Keep the momentum going.

Send a Thank You

You can send a thank you via email (quick, but not as personal as a handwritten card). You can mail it (takes a few days, so it doesn’t have the immediacy of an email, but has a bigger impact due to the perceived time and care it took to handwrite a note). Or, you can drop off a handwritten note the next day (a good strategy for big companies when you can hand the envelope to the receptionist). NOTE: If you are applying for a federal job, email is essential. Most federal agency “snail mail” goes to a third party first to ensure that its safe so it may take weeks for a mailed thank you to get to a federal agency; bringing a note to the agency won’t work either as most federal agencies have difficult access requirements.

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